DMK's and AP Target - Hindu Temples

06-14-2006, 12:22 PM

Something similar in EVR (referred as âPeriyarâ in parts of Tamil Nadu) and Bin Laden?
Every action of EVR was aimed at wiping out Brahmins from the land he was born... The followers of him and the organization he founded, the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) were all busy only in abusing a small, minority section of people in Tamil Nadu in the name of establishing equality. People in a small town near Salem were assaulted several times just because they were Brahmins, until almost all they decided to flee away. Most of the Brahmins live under the fear of being attacked by these DK activists. It is strange that EVR is being portrayed as âhumanistâ.

Perhaps he did not have access to the kind of arms that Bin Laden had, but these two men appear to be pretty similar in their thought process on eliminating whom they hate.

In almost every talk of EVR, he was attacking those who had faith on God and he and the thugs of DK had painted the whole of Chennai in 70s with slogan âall those who believe in god are fools and idiotsâ. (Read god as only Hindu gods, because these thugs had no guts to take on against Islam and Christianity, according to DK, those Gods were OK!) . Many of these graffiti ridiculed the concept of âtemple â.

So, suddenly why should they (the DK and their political arm DMK) push the agenda of allowing anyone to perform âPoojaiâ in the temple? Yet another disparate attempt to eliminate that miniscule Brahmin community who live on temple jobs. EVR and DK miserably failed in stopping the masses from thronging the temples in their State. The statistics indicate that the crowd to Thiruvannamali alone for Girivalam is surging at over 300% year on year. Just an hour drive from Tamil Naduâs border is the countryâs holiest site, the Tirumala. So much so that the Pilots flying in or out of Chennai often tilt the aircraft to give â darshanâ of the holy âgopuramâ of the Tirumala. Perhaps one of the best managed organizations in the world, the TTD has done much more than any âhumanistâ could do to address the needs of the poor and under privileged.

Temples and Hindu Gods are here to stay as it has been through the Mogul period. So the best that DK and the EVRâs admirers can do is to attempt to eliminate the temples as they have tried for years to eliminate the Brahmin âarchakasâ.

Will DK and the EVR followers now step up the campaign to stop people from going to temples ? Why have they not prevented Christian from going to the Church or a Muslim from going to the mosque or a Sikh from going to Gurdwara?

Leave alone assaulting Muslims or Christians, can the DK thugs stop a single â Kowariâ this year going to the holy city of Haridwar. The National Highway, NH4 , all the way from Ghaziabad to Haridwar is shut down during the Kawarias movement. Perhaps millions of people will be walking that 250Kms stretch . Can DK do anything about stopping those Hindus who have a lifetime wish to see the Lord at Bardinath ? Thousands, many at 70 + of age brave one of the toughest terrain of the mighty Himalayas to enter the holy shrine at Badrinath. And, for sure the vehicular traffic to Badrinath is doubling every year, despite of severe restrictions on the timing of the vehicle movements. The growth of faith on the Sri Mataji at Vaishnodevi, the Lord at Kedarnath, Amarnath and Mount Kailash is only increasing every year !

According to EVR , each of those millions of Indians who live on faith are â foolsâ.

Bin Laden had his way to shatter the WTO, but EVR âs way of attacking the people with faith on Hindu gods are not very different.

How could EVR be called a â humanistâ ?

06-14-2006, 01:40 PM

dmk seems like an abrahamic political party.

08-11-2006, 09:30 PM

Conversions will not be tolerated in Tirupati QUOTEA huge protest march was taken out by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) and Sanatan Sanstha jointly at Karkal, Dist. Udipi in the State of Karnataka against the conversions of Hindus at Tirupati, Andhra Pardesh. Five thousand staunch Hindus participated in the march.
............

Highlights
Leaders of BJP, Congress and Samajvadi parties also joined the march.

When the march was going on, shopkeepers closed down their shops voluntarily to participate in the march.

Slogans were raised against the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Samuel Rjsekhar Reddy

08-14-2006, 08:56 PM

SC stays Tamil Nadu ordinance on appointment of priests from any casteQUOTENew Delhi, Aug. 14 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Tamil Nadu Government ordinance allowing qualified persons from any caste to be appointed as priests.

An apex court Bench headed by Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal also issued notice to the Tamil Nadu Government on the petition. In a petition, an association of priests from Madurai and Trichy Adi Saiva Sivachariyargal Nala Sangam - had challenged the clause 8 of the Tamil Nadu Ordinance 2006. The clause was to bring amendment in the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959. (ANI)

08-22-2006, 12:12 AM

TN govt withdraws ordinance on priests QUOTEMonday, August 21, 2006 (Chennai):
The Tamil Nadu Government has withdrawn its ordinance to allow non-Brahmins to become priests in the state's temples.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court put a stay on the ordinance passed by the Karunanidhi government in July which had said any Hindu could become a priest.

The decision to break the brahminical hold over temples was a major election promise of the DMK.

However Chief Minister M Karunanidhi says this was the dream of the Periyar - the father of the Dravidian movement.

10-03-2006, 09:33 PM

QUOTEPrime accused in Sabarimala case surrenders 
Agencies | Kochi
Bechu Rehaman, the key accused in the Sabarimala temple priest assault case, surrendered before the police here today.

Rehaman, a small time Malayalam film and television actor, surrendered before G Venu, the Circle Inspector of the Ernakulam Central police station, who is also the investigating officer in the case.

The Kerala High Court had on September 19 directed him to surrender today.

Rehaman was likely to be produced before Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Ernakulam.

Another main accused in the case, Sobha John, who had been arrested on August two along with two others, was recently released on bail by the High Court.

The case relates to the complaint filed by Thantri Kandararu Mohanararu of the famous Lord Ayyappa Temple that he was manhandled, forcibly photographed with a woman and threatened at a flat here on July 23.Â

10-27-2006, 10:52 AM

old news but interesting
QUOTERationalist DMK breaks free, sits down for temple feasts
Jaya MenonPosted online: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 at 0000 hrs PrintÂ Email
CHENNAI, AUGUST 15: On Independence Day, Tamil Naduâs Cabinet ministers were kept busy. No, not distributing sweets and flags, but inside temples, leaving behind their rationalist masks and reverentially serving samabandhi virundhu (community feast).

Except for Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Finance Minister K Anbazhagan, and Power Minister Arcot N Veerasami, the other Cabinet members were drafted for the religious exercises in temples across Chennai and in the outskirts.

Known to be a passionate torchbearer of the rationalist ideologies of Periyar (EV Ramasamy Naicker), the Dravidar Kazhagam founder and parent body of the DMK, Karunanidhi, a professed atheist, has little tolerance for partymen indulging in religious rituals or following moodanambikkai (superstitious beliefs).

Today, however, he stuck to the long-standing practice, directing his Cabinet members to spread across the city temples and conduct the ritualistic âcommunity feedingâ on Independence Day.

While his son and the state Local Administration Minister MK Stalin initiated the feast in three temples in the heart of the city, including the Balasubramania Swamy temple, other senior ministers like Ko Si Mani (cooperation), Veerapandi Arumugham (agriculture), Duraimurugan (public works), K Ponmudy (higher education) and KN Nehru (transport) were seen barefoot inside pillared temple interiors in and around Chennai.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker, R Avudaiyappan, was also not spared. He was directed to organise a feast for the poor at the popular Kapaleeshwar temple in Mylapore. In fact, all the 29 ministers spent a good part of their day at temples.

Community feeding by state ministers in temples on Independence Day has been in vogue for some years now. But, the practice sits rather uneasily on the DMK, known to rigidly adhere to its rationalistic principles, or at least appearing to do so. While Karunanidhi is known to crack his whip against ââreligiousââ colleagues, of late the DMKâs rationalist image seems to be slipping.

Just a few days after being sworn in to power, Karunanidhi relented to appeals from âHinduâ sections that his governmentâs scheme to distribute eggs twice a week should be done so on Mondays and Wednesdays instead of the ââauspiciousââ Tuesdays and Fridays.

In May this year, Minister for Cooperation Mani kicked up a storm when he spent a few minutes with the senior Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, prime accused in a murder case.

While Karunanidhi expressed ââshock and surpriseââ and said an explanation would be sought from the minister, who even participated in a homam (yagna) organised by the Sankaracharya at the Mutt in Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, which happens to be Maniâs constituency, the issue was quietly buried.

During his previous tenure (1996-2001) as chief minister, Karunanidhi was known to be quite unbending when it came to dealing with ââreligiousââ misdemeanours of his Cabinet and party colleagues. On one occasion Karunanidhi hauled up a minister, Anthiyur Selvaraj, for participating in a religious ritual of walking on burning coals at the famous Bannari Amman temple in Erode district.

Another time, when he saw a former MP, Adi Shanker, sporting a vermillion mark on his forehead, Karunanidhi said he did not expect it from youngsters in the Dravidian movement and regretted that it was ââlosing its mooringsââ.

However, many of his family members, including his wife Dayalu Aamma and his daughter-in-law, Durga (Stalinâs wife), are known to be devout and visit temples often.

Known for his ââHinduââ bashing, Karunanidhi once got into trouble for reportedly calling Hindus ââthievesââ. He hastily clarified that he had merely quoted from a Hindi encyclopedia, published from Varanasi. It defined a Hindu as ââcruel, servant and banditââ, he said, adding that he chose ââto ignore that definitionââ, softening it to mean as ââthieves of heartsââ.
jaya.menon@expressindia.com

10-27-2006, 11:24 AM

Link
QUOTEThe total value of movable and immovable property owned by Mr.Karunanidhi, Mrs. Dayalu Ammal and Rajathi Ammal is Rs. 26 crore.

These include fixed deposits, saving bank accounts and investments in the Tamil Nadu Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation and Sakthi Finance.

Dayalu Ammal has investments in NSC, owns a Honda Accord and a Tata Indica, apart from jewellery.

Rajathi Ammal owns Tamilkani publications, which is worth Rs.20.76 lakh and Royal Furniture (Rs.5.46 lakh) and has 800 grams gold ornaments


Having two wives is illegal in India or there are different laws for Ministers in India. Why he is not behind bars?

ramana · 09-28-2007, 12:46 AM

Some of the article in Ram Setu thread should also be here and in the origns of DMK ideology thread.

Pioneer, 27 Sept., 2007
QUOTEHate based on false theory 

Second opinion: Vivek Gumaste

The vicious diatribe against Lord Ram by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi can be best described as frustrated vituperation by an ageing demagogue whose ideological hypotheses stand demolished in the face of fresh scientific evidence. For all its claims of rationalism, the DMK looks a mish-mash of logical inconsistencies deeply rooted in hate. Its relevance today is dictated more by political happenstance than any other ideological allegiance.

Though embellished by terms like 'self-respect' and 'rationalism', the driving force behind the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu has been the Aryan-Dravidian divide - a notion extrapolated from the conjecture that the mostly fair-skinned Tamilian Brahmins accused of exploiting other castes were in fact migrant Aryans from the north. The Aryan-Dravidian theory, first credited to German scholar Max Muller, is the greatest fraud committed against the people of India in the name of history. It is this perverted version that has been aggressively disseminated over the years by the so-called historians pursuing a dubious political agenda.

In his book, Biographies of Words and the Home of the Aryas, Muller categorically states: "I have declared again and again that if I say Aryans, I mean neither blood nor bones, nor hair nor skull; I mean simply those who speak an Aryan language... in that sense, and in that sense only, do I say that even the blackest Hindus represent an earlier stage of Aryan speech and thought than the fairest Scandinavians... To me an ethnologist who speaks of Aryan race, Aryan blood, Aryan eyes and hair, is as great a sinner as a linguist who speaks of a dolichocephalic dictionary or a brachycephalic grammar."

Moreover, several DNA studies are evidence to the fact that all Indians, regardless of their colour or other differences, are of the same stock. This brings into question the very legitimacy of the birth of the Dravidian movement. Faced with this evidence, is Mr Karunanidhi, a self-proclaimed rationalist, willing to change the name of his party? Or will he continue to perpetrate this myth on the people of Tamil Nadu?

As for the concept of hate, an image dating back to the 1960s comes to my mind - a picture of Lord Ram garlanded with slippers and sandals being paraded through the streets of Salem in Tamil Nadu by the members of the Dravida Kazhagam, the parent body of the DMK. If this is not hate, what is?

09-28-2007, 03:28 AM

Periyar Ramasami EVRs name is E. V. Ramasami Naicker

09-29-2007, 05:48 PM

'Sri Rama Sethuâ and Karunanidhiâs existential dilemma!
By U. Narayana Das
TinyURL: http://tinyurl.com/2hpmkb

10-01-2007, 07:59 PM

Supreme Court threatens dismissal of Tamil Nadu government
QUOTEEnraged over the non-compliance of its order banning a general shutdown in Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court Monday threatened the dismissal of the state government and warned that contempt of court proceedings may be initiated against Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and the state chief secretary.


then

Rattled Karunanidhi ends fast after Supreme Court fire
QUOTEChief Minister M. Karunanidhi hurriedly cut short a fast called to demand early completion of the Sethusamudram canal Monday and rushed to office after the Supreme Court threatened to have his government dismissed for letting Tamil Nadu get crippled with an unannounced general strike.

10-01-2007, 10:15 PM

Karunanidhi's uncalled for bandh was kicked out by the judiciary and now his commie partners are trying to subvert law here?
Public protests cannot be subdued by court orders: Yechury

ramana · (This post was last modified: 10-01-2007, 11:58 PM by ramana.)

QUOTET. N. Seshan the tall Chief Election Commissioner who made mighty political parties cover did not find the five-star Taj Coromondel hotel in Chennai safe, when he uttered something that displeased a Puratchi Thalaivi.

In above article by UND, the word cover should be replaced by cower.

QUOTEcower:
to shrink away or crouch especially for shelter from something that menaces, domineers, or dismays

03-01-2008, 07:45 AM

Saint Sekkizhar School of Saiva Siddhantam and
TRN Memorial Library and International Research Centre.
Phone 04362 â 236842

Director: Dr.T.N.Ramachandran D.Litt (Jaffna).Member expert committee; representative in Tamil as Classical language.
Central Institute for Indian Languages. Mysore. GOI.
R.Subbarayalu. Deputy Director. SSSD.
Former Registrar Tamil University, Thanjavur.
GP.Srinivasan. Curator (TRN Memorial Library)

To:
Mr.Adithya Sinha,
Executive Editor,
The Indian Express Group
Ambattur Industrial estate
Chennai.

Dear Mr. Sinha,

We refer to God, Karunanidhi, and Pre-Brahmin Glory, written by TJS George, journalist & advisor to the new Indian express group, and new Sunday Indian Express , Feb 23, 2008.

To introduce ourselves: Ours is a specialized research centre with emphasis on Tamil and Classical Indian literature. We have published around 150 books and monographs, and innumerable papers in Tamil and English. We have also guided students for research in literature, religion, heritage and architecture at both Doctoral and Post Doctoral levels .Students from India and far away Harvard University have utilsed our expertise. We have a rare collection of 70000 plus books and manuscripts in Tamil and other languages. To mention we also have two books authored by TJS George on "MS Subbalakshmi" and another book "Politics the first resort of Scoundrels".

How can we choose not to give a rebuttal to our friend TJS George, whom we used regard, when his analysis on "God, Karunanidhi, and Pre-Brahmin Glory" is based on Colonial Christian notions, faulty premises and biased data? This line of reply to TJS George is only a skeleton rebuttal without going to level 2 and 3.

Thanking You,

Regards,

Dr.T.N.Ramachandran , R.Subbarayalu & GP.Srinivasan

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
Oddâ¦Very odd! George!

By Dr. TN.Ramachandran, GP.Srinivasan & R.Subbarayalu

1. Philanthropy?

What has M.Karunanidhi to do with Philanthropy? He wants to make his family a dynasty. For this purpose he leaves "no stone unturned, no wires unpulled and no cutlet uncooked". (Quote from Winston Churchill). Philanthropy never upset established traditions. It fosters them. His "Tamil-New-Year innovation bespeaks his flair for flouting sacred Hindu Traditions.

2. Is Karunanidhi an Atheist?

Who said Karunanidhi is an atheist, as the term is commonly understood. His sort of Atheism is anti-Hinduism. He willingly participates in Iftar parties and sees his participation is highlighted in the media. Islam is dead against atheism.

3. Brahmin Hinduism a misnomer

There is no such thing as Brahminic Hinduism. Hinduism is Vedic and Agamic. Its denigrators, it is notorious, are Christian missionaries. These missionaries can take shelter in the Hindu modes of worship with a view to uprooting them.

4. Confessions of Max Muller:

Muller was employed to translate the Vedas and he himself has confessed that he has done enough to uproot the Vedas.

5. 'Yosur Vedam'

Veeramamunivar, popularly known as Beschi padiriyar donned himself in a guise of Hindu Sadhu to propagate his mission. Roberto De Nobili indited a Veda called" Yosur Vedam" (the Vedam of Jesus) all the while calling himself an Italian Brahmin. It is to be noted that all padres called themselves as Aiyars or Brahmins.

6. Gospel of Hatred

EVR advisedly fostered hatred towards Brahmins .He did not mince matters. However his contribution towards fostering self respect always bordered on his Gospel of Hatred and nothing else.

7. Myth of Brahmin Hegemony

Brahmin hegemony is a myth. Please see the complete works of Dharampal.His "Beautiful tree", and other works have debunked the myth which still holds the field as Dharampal's works are yet to become popular. It is well known that the missionaries are still doing their worst to draw an Iron-Curtain over his works.

8. Vedic Hinduism

Vedic Hinduism thrives by its inner Spiritual strength .Persons in guise or disguise can neither advance nor retard its march.

9. Vedas are unimpeachable

The certitudes of the Vedas are unimpeachable. The reformist poet Bharthi declared that the ambrosial and sustaining strength inherent in the Vedic way of life should become ours.

10. Abuse of Power

Buddhism and Jainism declined as by their abuse of Power; they stultified themselves. The Buddhist Reign in Srilanka will not go unnoticed for a long time.

11. Does Segregation mean quarantine?

Does Segregation mean quarantine? Healthy segregation keeps things intact. Such Segregation is not destructive at all. (Rishis went into forests to live secluded lives. This far away from the maddening crowd was discovered by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 18th century USA.)

12. Never cease learning

Hinduism believes in the maxim: Loka Samastha sukhino Bhavanthu {let the whole world thrive in comfort}. Hinduism never closed its door to the less fortunate.Tthe famous Hindu Poetess Avvaiyyar appealed to the whole mankind thus: "Oduvathu Ozhiyel". Never cease from learning.

13. Equality line

Equality Line spoken by George is a figment of fevered imagination. The invention of duplicitous nomenclature is political gimmick.

14. What is odd? What does George mean? What happened to the 20 lakhs Buddhist Viharas, Stupas, Temples, Monasteries and their libraries that disappeared during the reign of Chairman Mao?

15. What happened to Bamiyan Buddhas?

What happened to the Statues of highest of Buddhas in Bamian Afghanistan? What is the present State of Tibet? Where are the Llamas hiding? Odd. Very odd. Before our eyes Nepal is being swallowed by aliens. (The Shaolin monastery is a Show piece to display martial arts to foreign tourists and attract foreign investments) .

16. AIT â a political myth

The Aryan Dravidian Dichotomy is again a political myth. It is panjandrums who perpetuate these pet shibboleths.

17. All three Acharyas fostered Vedic and Agamic Traditions

All three Acharyas Samkara, Ramanuja and Madhva fostered the Vedic and Agamic traditions. Basava the Brahmin was rebel. His teachings captivated the downtrodden of Karnataka. However the situation in KARNATKA is back TO SQUARE ONE.

18. Adi Samkara Called Buddha as Emperor of Yogis

TJS.George is making comfortable assertions in the air. Many of Sangham Poets were Brahmins. We are not going into the details. Tolkappier was a Brahmin. Valluvar holds righteous Brahmins in great respect. George conveniently forgets that the great Samkara himself was all admiration for Gautama Buddha. He hailed Buddha as the "Emperor of yogis".

19. Etymological meaning of 'Dravidian'

George says Dravidian Politics may indeed be overwhelmed by Brahmin politics. What does the word Dravidian mean? The Dravidian Desa is the entire south, below the Vindhya ranges. Dravidian does not mean any other political party in whose names the word Dravidian is inserted.

20 Conclusions

What is Brahminic politics? Who are these unspecified politicians? There is neither 'Point' nor 'View' in the point of view of Mr. George â¦Odd very Odd indeed Mr. TJS George.

To be continuedâ¦.. If necessary

03-12-2008, 08:40 PM

Tamil Nadu is fast becoming Talib-Nadu.

QUOTEDikshitars relent; permit devotees to recite Tamil hymns
Chennai-Chidambaram (PTI): 'Dikshithars', the custodians of Nataraja temple at Chidambaram, on Wednesday allowed devotees to recite Tamil hymns near the sanctum sanctorum, following which the government ordered release of those arrested in a related scuffle recently.

Dikshitars took the decision, a day after the state government warned them of stringent legal action if they prevented anyone from reciting the devotional hymns -- 'Dhevaram' and 'Thiruvasagam'.

The devotees who came to recite the Tamil hymns today were welcomed by the Dikshitars who also garlanded them. In the presence of police personnel, the devotees recited the hymns near the idol of the deity.

The Shiva temple, located about 140 km south of Chennai, had witnessed unruly incidents on Sunday last when the Dikshitars, a particular clan of Saivite priests, clashed with police while attempting to prevent one Arumugasamy, from reciting the hymns.

Armed with an order of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department and supported by activists of a human rights group, Arumugasamy had attempted to recite the hymns at the main shrine of the temple. However, his move was resisted by the Dikshitars on the ground that the pujas should be performed only in Sanskrit.

As many as 10 Dikshitars and 34 activists were arrested on the charges of assaulting the police and triggering "unnecessary violence" on the temple premises.

Following Wednesday's decision by the priests, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi asked the authorities to take steps to release the arrested. He had earlier reviewed the issue with the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary in Chennai.


Note the involvment of the Govt here:
Some questions to think about:
(i) Can anyone and everyone go about singing hymns in any temple.? Even as a Hindu I don't think I can go to a temple of my choice (say Tirupati or Siddhi Vinayak etc) and assert my right to sing there - irrespective of the language I might use.
So why the preferential treatement to this no name poet unless he was invited by the temple authorities?

(ii) how come this poet thinks that his hymns will reach the good Lord only in Tamil? As a Tamil poet, has one investigated his financial angle?

(iii) Silly question: If he loves Tamil so much, sing hymns in Tamil at his private residence would not reach Lord Nataraja?

(iv) How come none of these people in Talib Nadu who wear language on their sleeve go to a mosque start reciting Koran in Tamil?

(v) Would Karunanidhi have come to my aid if I had gone to the temple and insisted in chanting hyms in Bengali or Bhojpuri?

(vi) Would Karunanidhi and his gestapo goons have spared a local Abdul if he created a ruckus in mosque premises insisting on reading a Tamil Koran?

(vii) Sania Mirza was hauled up by law for violating the rules set up by the mosque (i.e., no filming in mosque - even if it's the parking lot of the mosque). So why aren't some basic rules (which doesn't impinge on anyone's right to pray or seek spiritual enlightment) set up by temple authorities and those followed for past hundreds of years are being taken for granted by local government.

04-13-2008, 06:37 PM

Karunanidhi bans panchangam in Hindu temples - Commentary on the senile act

I bet these scholars are from Navya Shastra <!--emo& Tongue

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />

04-16-2008, 06:07 AM

Tamils ignore government fiat, celebrate New Year

Chennai, April 13 (IANS) Even as several major temples âobeyedâ the diktat of the Tamil Nadu government and avoided special worship, the laity here celebrated Tamil New Year with usual gaiety Sunday. Just as the biggest Hindu Shiva temple in Mylapore area here allowed people to offer special prayers, the famed Vishnu shrine at Srirangam, 300 km south of Chennai and considered a âheaven on earthâ, celebrated the occasion with pomp.

The Meenakshi Amman temple at Madurai, 400 km south of here, steered clear of controversy and avoided any special prayer.

The government early this year declared that from now on, Pongal, the harvest festival falling Jan 14, would herald the Tamil New Year.

It prohibited special prayers on the traditional Tamil New Year day in all government-controlled temples. It also banned the reading of the Tamil almanac on the traditional New Year day in shrines.

Hindus across the state, however, celebrated the occasion regardless of the governmentâs fiat. Festoons were seen everywhere and feasts were held at almost every home. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rock.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rock.gif' />

A leading Hindu priest explained why the masses ignored the wishes of the DMK government.

âThe year is named âSarvadhariâ after Lord Vishnu, in whom all Hindus believe and the term itself means âone who bears all burdensâ,â said Shankara Shastri, a priest consulted by many leading business houses here.

âThis is as per the Hindu calendarâs 60-year cycle that has been in vogue since the time of the Vedas, of which astrology and astronomy are essential parts. And it is not just the Tamils - several Indian subcultures have a New Year almost at the same time,â Shastri told IANS.

The opposition AIADMK had exhorted its workers to celebrate the occasion and âtell the government that the people do not care for orders against Indian culture and sentimentâ.

Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) volunteers garlanded an icon of Mother India in Madurai and read the almanacs publicly to register their protest against the government.

âOne does not know whether the people of Tamil Nadu will take a cue from the next New Yearâs name âVirodhiâ and end up believing that the ruling DMK is their enemy, which is what the word means,â said political commentator and satirist Cho S. Ramaswamy.

07-29-2008, 06:52 AM

Assault on Heritage

T.S. SUBRAMANIAN

The authorities of a temple in Kancheepuram are âdismantlingâ a 500-year-old structure, ostensibly to reassemble it.

<img src='http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v130/indiaforum/mandapa.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

It braved the vagaries of nature for 500 years. But now, human hands are bringing down the massive mandapa situated in the famed Varadaraja Perumal temple at Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu.

Built by the Vijayanagar king Achyuthadevaraya around A.D. 1530, it was known for its few hundred pillars covered with beautiful carvings of dancers, musicians, floral motifs and gods. All these are now smashed to pieces with crowbars. The demolition, which began in April, has picked up pace with a bulldozer being pressed into action. 

Temple officials said it was ânot a demolition but dismantling of the mandapaâ to assemble it again to house vahanas (vehicles) of the deities. âA donorâ was apparently financing âthe projectâ to âdismantle and re-assembleâ the mandapa so that the âvahanas can be displayed openlyâ. The temple comes under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Tamil Nadu government.

However, Dr. R. Nagaswamy, former Director of the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department, called it âa thoughtless act of destruction and renovationâ. The mandapa could have been cleaned easily, conserved and preserved. 

âWhat is happening now is total destruction. They are not dismantling it. They are smashing it with a bulldozer,â he said. The temple was earlier subjected to a bout of vandalism when the murals of Vishnu, Lakshmi and other gods in the Hindu pantheon were whitewashed. The surviving paintings have faded or peeled away. They have not been preserved.

The Admiralty House functioned as the residence of Governors of Madras Presidency. The 184-year-old Collectorate in Salem housed antiques and plaques.

This is the third instance of destruction of a heritage building in Tamil Nadu in the past few months. In April the demolition began of the 250-year-old Admiralty House at the Government Estate on Anna Salai, in the heart of Chennai, to make way for a Rs.200-crore Legislative Assembly-cum-Secretariat complex.

A score of other buildings are also being demolished at the Government Estate. These demolitions are done at the instance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in the State. Until Independence, the Admiralty House, or the Government House, functioned as the residence of Governors of Madras Presidency.

In the second week of July the demolition began of the 184-year-old Collectorate building in Salem, about 400 km from Chennai. An imposing building with wide wooden staircases, tall pillars and big windows, it housed valuable antiques and plaques. On a writ petition filed by P. Dhamayanthi, joint general secretary of the Centre for the Protection of Civil Liberties, Salem, the First Bench of the Madras High Court, comprising Chief Justice A.K. Ganguly and Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla, said the building should not be demolished until the officials concerned passed a reasoned order on the representation to declare it a heritage building.

The origin of the Varadaraja Perumal temple at Kancheepuram goes back to about 1,200 years. Nagaswamy, who is also a scholar in Sanskrit, calls it âthe most beautiful Vishnu temple at Kancheepuramâ. The temple originally consisted of an image of Narasimha at the foot of a small rocky boulder. Later, a standing form of Vishnu was installed on top of the rock. It was then called Arulalar temple. The village was called Athiyur because there were a number of âathiâ trees around.

The temple began to gain prominence in the 11th century, during the period of the Cholas. Kulotunga Chola encased the rock and built a structural temple around the standing Vishnu circa A.D. 1100. The temple expanded with the construction of several shrines, prakaras (corridors) and gopurams. Vijayanagar emperor Krishnadevaraya built the present sanctum sanctorum, the vimana above it and covered it with gold sheet around A.D. 1525, said Nagaswamy. He also rebuilt the sanctum of Thayaar (Vishnuâs consort) and the vimana, and covered this vimana also with gold.

Krishnadevarayaâs successor Achyuthadevaraya built the kalyana mandapa on the left side beyond the western entrance to the temple. This mandapa is known for its several hundred pillars with intricate carvings of horse-riders, dancers, musicians, and gods and goddesses.

On the right side, âas if to strike a balanceâ, he built another mandapa with a few hundred pillars, all hewn out of granite. This was used for conducting temple festivals in the past. Later, it was used as a goshala, or cow shed. It is this mandapa that is being pulled down now.

It originally encased a central mandapa with carved pillars. This has already been demolished. Broken pillar-members, some of them numbered, lie in a heap.

âThe entire mandapa is in good conditionâ¦. The walls are in perfect alignment. It has survived for 500 years without tilting or developing cracks. Except that it has not been cleaned, it is in good shape,â said Nagaswamy, adding that it could have been easily preserved without demolishing it. 

No technical report on the mandapaâs condition was prepared before the demolition began. Although some of the pillars that have been pulled down are numbered, it would be impossible to reassemble the mandapa because they are lying in a heap in different places and in broken pieces, he said.

Temple officials claimed they would rebuild the mandapa with original pillars as a gallery to house the templeâs vahanas. They claimed they were using the bulldozer only to remove the lime mortar on the ceiling of the mandapa.

They would replace the ancient lime mortar with cement mortar. However, the use of cement mortar would be a blatant violation of the canons of conservation, asserted archaeologists.

07-31-2008, 06:59 AM

Karunanidhi - the Aurangazeb in action, demolishes a temple mantap

Karunanidhi ordered for demolition: It is not at all surprising that Karunanidhi, the hidden Aurangazeb has been in action acting against Hindus in his present reign[1]. Under the guise of renovation, a temple mantap was demolished in Kancipuram. What is surprising is that it is not all reported in the media, though it started in April 2008. When a 1000-pillared mantap was demolished at the Tirumala, at least some people objected to it, though the historians, archaeologists and other monument experts, saviours and protectors were sleeping. Now also, the same thing has happened, but for Dr. R. Nagaswamy[2].

500 years old monument demolished: The mantap with carved sculptures braved the vagaries of nature for 500 years, but now, human hands are bringing down the massive mandapa situated in the famed Varadaraja Perumal temple at Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu[3]. Built by the Vijayanagar king Achyuthadevaraya around A.D. 1530, it was known for its few hundred pillars covered with beautiful carvings of dancers, musicians, floral motifs and gods. All these are now smashed to pieces with crowbars. The demolition, which began in April, has picked up pace with a bulldozer being pressed into action.

"Uliyin Osai" in reverse â Sastriyar[4] behaves differently: The Kalainjar was planning for "Uliyin osai", the sound of chisel â carving sculptures out of stone, but, in action, he ordered to demolish such sculptures. Note, how iconoclasm works against iconogenesis! Hussian painted Hindu Goddesses and Gods in the name of expressing artistic talent of expression, but he actually tried to demolish and blaspheme Hindu Goddesses and Gods with the perverted psyche. The Mohammedan demolition frenzy acted psychologically, as in the cases of Khiljis, Malik kafur, Aurangazeb, Tipu sultan etc. Karunanidhi, the moder-day manipulators does it in his 83 years age.

Rennovation or demolition? Temple officials said it was "not a demolition but dismantling of the mandapa" to assemble it again to house vahanas (vehicles) of the deities. "A donor" was apparently financing "the project" to "dismantle and re-assemble" the mandapa so that the "vahanas can be displayed openly". The temple comes under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Tamil Nadu government. However, no details are known to the public. In fact, the Christian Rajasekhara Reddy also gave similar apologia for his renovation carried on in front of the Tirumala temple.

Dr. R. Nagaswamy says it is total destruction: However, Dr. R. Nagaswamy, former Director of the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department, called it "a thoughtless act of destruction and renovation". The mandapa could have been cleaned easily, conserved and preserved.

"What is happening now is total destruction. They are not dismantling it. They are smashing it with a bulldozer," he said. The temple was earlier subjected to a bout of vandalism when the murals of Vishnu, Lakshmi and other gods in the Hindu pantheon were whitewashed. The surviving paintings have faded or peeled away. They have not been preserved. Thus, the atheist government may be working in a phased manner, but these devils are posing as savious of Tamil culture and so on! Better, the Tamil lovers, Tamil protagonists and others at least now recognize the iconoclasts and act so that whatever left could be protected.

Demolition carried with the instance of DMK government: These demolitions are done at the instance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in the State[5]. Many times, our Dravidian and Tamil friends used to accuse or even shout at me for always attacking "Karunanidhi". But, note my dear friends, what has been happening. As now our Maharaja or Chakravarti has been Karunanidhi, as a citizen, I could blame only my ruler. I cannot complain to the ruler of Pakistan or Afganisthan! Therefore, they should not pretend hinding the truth or the heinous crimes of the ruler of Tamilnadu, misusing his status.

The origin of the Mantap and temple: The origin of the Varadaraja Perumal temple at Kancheepuram goes back to about 1,200 years. Nagaswamy, who is also a scholar in Sanskrit, calls it "the most beautiful Vishnu temple at Kancheepuram". The temple originally consisted of an image of Narasimha at the foot of a small rocky boulder. Later, a standing form of Vishnu was installed on top of the rock. It was then called Arulalar temple. The village was called Athiyur because there were a number of "athi" trees around. The temple began to gain prominence in the 11th century, during the period of the Cholas. Kulotunga Chola encased the rock and built a structural temple around the standing Vishnu circa A.D. 1100. The temple expanded with the construction of several shrines, prakaras (corridors) and gopurams. Vijayanagar emperor Krishnadevaraya built the present sanctum sanctorum, the vimana above it and covered it with gold sheet around A.D. 1525, said Nagaswamy. He also rebuilt the sanctum of Thayaar (Vishnu's consort) and the vimana, and covered this vimana also with gold. Krishnadevaraya's successor Achyuthadevaraya built the kalyana mandapa on the left side beyond the western entrance to the temple. This mandapa is known for its several hundred pillars with intricate carvings of horse-riders, dancers, musicians, and gods and goddesses.

Act and Rules violated â the principles of archaeology forgotten: On the right side, "as if to strike a balance", he built another mandapa with a few hundred pillars, all hewn out of granite. This was used for conducting temple festivals in the past. Later, it was used as a goshala, or cow shed. It is this mandapa that is being pulled down now. It originally encased a central mandapa with carved pillars. This has already been demolished. Broken pillar-members, some of them numbered, lie in a heap. "The entire mandapa is in good conditionâ¦. The walls are in perfect alignment. It has survived for 500 years without tilting or developing cracks. Except that it has not been cleaned, it is in good shape," said Nagaswamy, adding that it could have been easily preserved without demolishing it. No technical report on the mandapa's condition was prepared before the demolition began. Although some of the pillars that have been pulled down are numbered, it would be impossible to reassemble the mandapa because they are lying in a heap in different places and in broken pieces, he said. Temple officials claimed they would rebuild the mandapa with original pillars as a gallery to house the temple's vahanas. They claimed they were using the bulldozer only to remove the lime mortar on the ceiling of the mandapa. They would replace the ancient lime mortar with cement mortar. However, the use of cement mortar would be a blatant violation of the canons of conservation, asserted archaeologists[6]. These are the photos of demolition squad in action[7].

Why historians, archaeologists and others are keeping quite? The proverbial, phenomenal or tactful silence maintained by the present-day historians, archaeologists of all categories, secular, progressive, eminent, elite and what not â is understandable. As they expect benefits from the Maharaja Karunanidhi, they do not ask whatever he does. In fact, with sycophancy, they may prise for his sound or nise of chisel that has demolished the monument! As the conferences of TNHC, IHC, APHC, SIHC etc., are coming in the order, let us see whether these people have any guts or sense f their profession to pass any resolution etc., or the K. Veeramanies, Ramasamies and other oldmen would be invited to talk nonsense.

VEDAPRAKASH

29-07-2008

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[1] Perhaps, the instances have been well recorded in the internet groups, the people forget the happenings.

[2] Dr. R. Nagaswamy has been the former Director of State Archaeological Department, Tamilnadu and active defender of Indian culture, tradition etc., he has many times tried to refute the anti-historical writings of Micheal Witzel and Company of Harvard University.

[3] T.S. Subramanian, Assault on heritage, The authorities of a temple in Kancheepuram are "dismantling" a 500-year-old structure, ostensibly to reassemble it. Frontline, Volume 25 - Issue 15 :: Jul. 19-Aug. 01, 2008. See at:

http://www.frontlineonnet.com/stories/20...512900.htm

[4] Recently, I came to know that the iconoclast assumed this name just like Suryanarayana Sastri imitating him by having the title of "Kalainjar" i.e, Sastriyar. Remember, how Anna used to ridicule one "Sastriyar" in his "Ariya Mayai"!

[5] Ibid. Frontline, Volume 25 - Issue 15 :: Jul. 19-Aug. 01, 2008

[6] Here, unfortunately, the names of the archaeologists have not been mentioned. Perhaps, they are afraid as they are government servants and the rulers can take any action with their vested powers.

[7] Courtesy: Dr. R. Nagaswamy and Frontline.

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